World’s largest retailers, food companies join the Tuna Transparency Pledge. The Tuna Transparency Pledge, which was launched just under a year ago and includes company and government pledges to 100% on-the-water monitoring of industrial tuna vessels by 2027, is unveiling an impressive list of newly added signatories that includes some of the largest retailers and food service companies in the world – Carrefour to name one.
This announcement of the Tuna Transparency Pledge expanding into new markets is a sign of vital progress in the seafood industry. One of the biggest obstacles to sustainably managing global tuna fisheries is a lack of on-the-water monitoring and data. Having eyes on the water provides confidence to companies that the tuna being sold on their shelves was legally and sustainably sourced, and helps prevent IUU-caught fish from continuing to enter the supply chain undetected.
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HIGHLIGHTS AMONG THE 8 NEW SIGNATORIES:
- Carrefour, one of the world’s largest retailers, based in France
- Aramark, one of the largest food service companies in the world, based in the United States
- Pacific Island Tuna, a cooperative of Pacific Island Nations operating at the epicentre of global tuna supply
- Culimer USA, Lusamerica Foods, and the Association of Large Freezer Tuna Vessels (AGAC)
WHY NEW SIGNATORIES MATTER:
- Given their substantial role and reach in the industry, this particular group of signatories indicates a major shift towards transparency in the first mile of the tuna supply chain (i.e., what occurs at the point of harvest).
- Together, the new signatories of the Tuna Transparency Pledge represent some of the largest retailers in Europe and food service providers in the United States.
- On-the-water monitoring is the industry future. The more companies and governments who unite by joining the Tuna Transparency Pledge, the easier on-the-water implementation becomes.
QUICK REFRESHER ON THE PLEDGE:
- Origin: The Nature Conservancy launched the Tuna Transparency Pledge in April 2024. Its impressive list of initial signatories spanned the entire supply chain and included Walmart, Albertsons Companies and Thai Union along with the governments of Belize and the Federated States of Micronesia.
- 100% Monitoring: Signatories are pledging to advance on-the-water monitoring* across all tuna fishing vessels within their supply chains (for companies) or jurisdictional waters (for governments) with a goal to achieve 100% on-the-water monitoring by 2027
- * Electronic monitoring is one option, which includes the use of onboard video cameras, GPS, and sensors to monitor and verify fishing activities
- Private-Public Partnership: The Tuna Transparency Pledge is unique in that it unites both governments and companies to the cause
- Accountability: The Tuna Transparency Pledge was developed by TNC in consultancy with other leading NGOs, retailers, and seafood experts. TNC works in collaboration with signatories and their NGO partners to track progress and support their rollout and verification procedures.